Hot Dish: Hot summer lunches and cool evening wine tastings

Ivan Seligman

Delicious Summer Lunch Specials at The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille’s summer lunch special is a summertime hit, offering white tablecloth service and a variety of light three-course combos for only $18. Each can be promptly served within 15 minutes—perfect timing for those who can’t afford to spend two hours on lunch. Friends and I ordered some combos and found each portion is enough for two. It’s easy—choose a soup or salad, a sandwich main course and a large side. The roasted corn bisque and the clam chowder vie for my favorite comfort food, each rich with taste and creamy warmth. The mini tenderloin’s two generous portions of tasty filet mignon with a Boursin mushroom blend and herbed cream cheese on brioche buns is my favorite. The lobster roll’s abundance of lobster overflows its crisped brioche bun.

Sweet Melissa’s Cafe has a refreshing summer selection, and the lovely setting is warm and welcoming. Many dishes are so tasty and creative that it’s well worth a drive to Sanibel to savor them. Start with the $15 snapper sashimi with compressed watermelon, olives, fennel, chives and light champagne vinaigrette. Vary each forkful’s components to bring out different nuances. The $13 grilled prosciutto-wrapped asparagus is amazing with its spiced pecans, malt-molasses vinaigrette, and crispy soft-boiled egg.

Most entries are also offered as half portions for tapas-style dining. The oven-roasted cobia ($28) is a hit with its oven-roasted Jerusalem artichokes, cipollini onions and contrasting sauces—yellow tomato puree and salsa verde. Another favorite is a sous vide masterpiece: Mushroom and foie gras stuffed duck roulade. The perfectly cooked duck’s crisp skin, is accented by creamy Anson Mills grits, Swiss chard, and a rhubarb gastrique.

Your meal is not complete without a silky smooth coconut panna cotta. It’s served with homemade avocado ice cream, strawberry sorbet and a plump fried strawberry.

Tony’s Off Third presents the Argentinean wines of Paul Hobbs on June 10 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Admission is $15, with a $10 coupon good toward a bottle of wine. This is a great opportunity to sample wines not often found in Southwest Florida.